Apparatus for rapidly stacking fuel cell stack using automatic stacking and pressurization of fuel cell components

Abstract

An apparatus is provided to stack a fuel cell stack by pressurizing a separating plate component including a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) sheet component, in which gas diffusion layers are bonded to both surfaces of an MEA, respectively. The apparatus includes a component aligning unit, a component stacking unit, a component pressurizing unit, an end plate loading unit, and a transferring unit. The transferring unit transfers a stack guide, on which a separate plate component and the MEA sheet component are stacked, to the component pressurizing unit. The transferring unit transfers a stack body, in which the separate plate component and the MEA sheet component are stacked, to a completion end of the transfer route of the stack guide, separately from the stack guide.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus for rapidly stacking a fuel cell stack, which assembles a fuel cell stack by stacking and pressurizing a separating plate component, in which a negative electrode metal separating plate and a positive electrode metal separating plate are bonded to each other, and including a membrane-electrode assembly sheet component in which gas diffusion layers are bonded to both surfaces of the membrane-electrode assembly, respectively, the apparatus comprising:
 a component aligning unit connected to a completion end of a component transfer route of a conveyor to align the separating plate component and the membrane-electrode assembly sheet component transferred by the conveyor to predetermined positions; 
 a component stacking unit installed at an upper side of the component aligning unit, and configured to grip the separating plate component and the membrane-electrode assembly sheet component and stack the separating plate component and then membrane-electrode assembly component on a stack guide; 
 a component pressurizing unit installed at an upper side of the component transfer route, through which the stack guide is transferred, and configured to pressurize the separating plate component and the membrane-electrode assembly sheet component stacked on the stack guide; 
 an end plate loading unit installed at an external side of the component transfer route of the stack guide between the component stacking unit and the component pressurizing unit, and configured to grip each of upper and lower end plates and load each of the upper and lower end plates onto the stack guide; and 
 a transferring unit configured to transfer the stack guide, on which the separating plate component and the membrane-electrode assembly sheet component are stacked by the component stacking unit from a beginning end of the component transfer route of the stack guide to the component pressurizing unit, and transfer the fuel cell stack, in which the separating plate component and the membrane-electrode assembly sheet component are stacked by the component pressurizing unit, from the component pressurizing unit to a completion end of the component transfer route of the stack guide, separately from the stack guide, 
 wherein the transferring unit includes: 
 a first transfer rail configured to connect a beginning end and a completion end of the transfer route of the stack guide in a direction crossing a component transfer route of the conveyor; 
 a second transfer rail connected with the first transfer rail while crossing the first transfer rail in a direction distant from the end plate loading unit between the component stacking unit and the component pressurizing unit; and 
 a pair of first transfer stages that correspond to the component stacking unit and the component pressurizing unit, respectively, and installed to be movable along the first and second transfer rails while supporting the stack guide between the component stacking unit and the component pressurizing unit. 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a stack discharging unit installed to be movable to the completion end of the transfer route of the stack guide from the component pressurizing unit, and configured to discharge the stack body to an external side of the component transfer route of the stack guide.